Why in the world is there only one manufacturer? You would think, since chickens are a food staple, in a world that's starving to death-poultry health would be of utmost importance.
You would think many things, but priorities aren't what they should be. Outrageous.
Good for you Carol, that's better than most of us. I try to remember to bleach my muck boots but honestly who has the time? I do make sure to wash and disinfect my shoes and clothes after I've been to a show, but I really just had luck when I added the two bantams to my flock. Roberta, this is hard for all of us that know you to hear, we know how much you care for your birds. I will say I think Marek's is pretty common in New England so it might not be a bad thing that I haven't yet made it to that show. I too have stopped with the wild bird feeders, but how do you prevent them from dropping by the coop while the door is open during the day? Or keep the field mice, skunks, coons and other mammals out of the coop? It's unfortunate but it happens. Please don't blame yourself too much, it could have been any of us that had this happen.
One solution that I came up with, for the wild birds that were swooping into my ChickArena to eat from my chickens' food bowl, was installing one of those black mesh fabric door screens that are really just a split curtain that you walk into and through. I bought it online; it's one of those TV advertised products. I never got around to installing it; it's still sitting on a shelf with my other flock paraphenalia. My plan was to attach it to the top of the doorway, and then safety pin it up from the bottom so that the bottom hem was about a foot and a half higher than the bottom of the doorway. That way, the chickens wouldn't have to touch it to get in and out. After a few days of the chickens getting used to seeing it there, over their heads, I'd lower the bottom hem until the flock, hopefully, would just push past it and go through. Even if I never lowered it, I'm guessing the wild birds wouldn't figure it out and swoop so very low to the ground to fly in under the curtain. But, as I said, I never installed it, so I don't really know. But that was my plan.
-Carolyn252
Morning All,
Like anything else with the drug companies it's the almighty dollar. They can't make any money on the vaccine so they don't make it .
Dr. Jarra Jagne is the director of the Poultry Lab at Cornell Vet School.
Phone number-607-253-3900
She was not there when I was there but I have spoken to her several times.
She is the person I would trust.
Christine I think you should give her a call and talk to her (might get her assistant) . You might be dealing with mycoplasma, Pasturella, etc.Ask her what type of samples you can send her. Let her know what your girls have been treated with if anything and when you stopped treatment. If you have to send the samples through a vet., send it from A& A veterinary Hospital. Send me a PM I'll get you set up.
Roberta,I would tell you to do the same thing, but you already have your diagnosis and I think your doing everything possible to get it under control.It just sucks right now.
Carol
One solution that I came up with, for the wild birds that were swooping into my ChickArena to eat from my chickens' food bowl, was installing one of those black mesh fabric door screens that are really just a split curtain that you walk into and through. I bought it online; it's one of those TV advertised products. I never got around to installing it; it's still sitting on a shelf with my other flock paraphenalia. My plan was to attach it to the top of the doorway, and then safety pin it up from the bottom so that the bottom hem was about a foot and a half higher than the bottom of the doorway. That way, the chickens wouldn't have to touch it to get in and out. After a few days of the chickens getting used to seeing it there, over their heads, I'd lower the bottom hem until the flock, hopefully, would just push past it and go through. Even if I never lowered it, I'm guessing the wild birds wouldn't figure it out and swoop so very low to the ground to fly in under the curtain. But, as I said, I never installed it, so I don't really know. But that was my plan.
-Carolyn252
I have those things "Magic screens" Hubs saw it on qvc, hsn or something or another (yes, he watches those things-I don;t-lol) I had them up over my sliders in the back of the house-i LOVE them. if you hang them aligned right-they work great. The magnets are very strong and really grab each other.
I have so many wild birds in my yard, I can't possibly protect my girls from their droppings. I don't treat my yard with anything. I am completely natural and the girls are my bug control. I'll have to just pray.
I have so many wild birds in my yard, I can't possibly protect my girls from their droppings. I don't treat my yard with anything. I am completely natural and the girls are my bug control. I'll have to just pray.
One solution that I came up with, for the wild birds that were swooping into my ChickArena to eat from my chickens' food bowl, was installing one of those black mesh fabric door screens that are really just a split curtain that you walk into and through. I bought it online; it's one of those TV advertised products. I never got around to installing it; it's still sitting on a shelf with my other flock paraphenalia. My plan was to attach it to the top of the doorway, and then safety pin it up from the bottom so that the bottom hem was about a foot and a half higher than the bottom of the doorway. That way, the chickens wouldn't have to touch it to get in and out. After a few days of the chickens getting used to seeing it there, over their heads, I'd lower the bottom hem until the flock, hopefully, would just push past it and go through. Even if I never lowered it, I'm guessing the wild birds wouldn't figure it out and swoop so very low to the ground to fly in under the curtain. But, as I said, I never installed it, so I don't really know. But that was my plan.
-Carolyn252
Good idea carolyn. But those little stinkers will find a way in if you leave even 1/2" of space open for them.
When we finished my new "peep pad" in august I ended up having to go around the entire run/coop with that thin black fishline type small netting thats used to keep birds off of trees/gardens etc. I wrapped the whole project in the darn stuff stapling it to the beams. That is the only way I am able to keep those little chickadees out of the pen area and eating the crumbles. But my birds free range the yard each afternoon so I am at risk anyways................looks like we can't really win the war entirely against disease, just small battles.
I have been so very lucky. I never had a sick bird to my knowledge. I sure hope it remains that way.
Roberta your stress level must be at the boiling point feeling like Typhoid Annie. I wish I could be hellpfull to you.
You can't make yourself crazy over this. If it were for a human, I might feel differently
We're talking chickens. But I still cry like crazy, these were my babies.
What really sucks is after ten years, I had finally decided which breed to go forward ith. The Showgirls.
And now I don't have any.
I am crying hysterically, with the last (hopefully) of the infected birds on my lap.
He is having trouble walking, but I wonder if it will go away and he will get better.
Yeah, right. Only a matter of time until I have to kill him, too.
He, too, was at that show that everyone else got sick at.
Gee, that first place wasn't really worth it, was it? Tonight when I went to lock up the coops, he was scrunched up against the fence.
He can't walk up the ramp anymore to go to bed.
So if I wasn't paying attention, he would be eaten by a raccoon.
Of course I'll bring him into the houe to sit on my lap.
Until he is dead. He's my baby.
And then, I start to wonder, did I vaccuum enough? Is there his dander anywhere else?
Did I have him in the car? Did I pick him up, and contaminate my clothes?
Did he rub up against any of the other birds?
Ouch my head hurts.
Morning All,
Like anything else with the drug companies it's the almighty dollar. They can't make any money on the vaccine so they don't make it .
Dr. Jarra Jagne is the director of the Poultry Lab at Cornell Vet School.
Phone number-607-253-3900
She was not there when I was there but I have spoken to her several times.
She is the person I would trust.
Christine I think you should give her a call and talk to her (might get her assistant) . You might be dealing with mycoplasma, Pasturella, etc.Ask her what type of samples you can send her. Let her know what your girls have been treated with if anything and when you stopped treatment. If you have to send the samples through a vet., send it from A& A veterinary Hospital. Send me a PM I'll get you set up.
Roberta,I would tell you to do the same thing, but you already have your diagnosis and I think your doing everything possible to get it under control.It just sucks right now.
Carol
Carol, thanks, I will PM you or feel free to PM with the info. I might need it. Everyone in my flock is doing well today, but still this odd lung noise, so I will need some testing I think. I had 2 show signs of paralysis and recover from it, so you never know.
I freerange, I use no pesticides, as a rule I use no medications (for myself either). I cannot prevent my chickens from coming into contact with the wild things, we live in the woods. I will not cage them, so I am left to suffer the natural epidemics that afflict poultry. I am pretty certain that I got this from the show though. Either way it amounts to the same thing. No birds in, no birds out, no shows, careful I don't bring anything into the feed store with me, etc... at least until this seems to quiet down. I am guessing I will have massive losses once the cold starts to stress the birds. I suppose I can do a full disinfecting with the activated oxine and start anew in the spring. Time will tell. In the mean time I hope everyone else continues to have healthy flocks.
I freerange, I use no pesticides, as a rule I use no medications (for myself either). I cannot prevent my chickens from coming into contact with the wild things, we live in the woods. I will not cage them, so I am left to suffer the natural epidemics that afflict poultry. I am pretty certain that I got this from the show though. Either way it amounts to the same thing. No birds in, no birds out, no shows, careful I don't bring anything into the feed store with me, etc... at least until this seems to quiet down. I am guessing I will have massive losses once the cold starts to stress the birds. I suppose I can do a full disinfecting with the activated oxine and start anew in the spring. Time will tell. In the mean time I hope everyone else continues to have healthy flocks.
I small suggestion for those of you who have flocks with symptoms of respiratory infections. I did a lot of reading on BYC two years ago about treating chickens' colds, runny nose, sneezing, "coughing", etc. There were quite a few posts about using Oxine (non-activated, of course) as a vaporized mist for the sick chicken. They described how they isolated the chicken in a small space, covered the box or cage with a big towel or other enclosing material, and then set up a vaporizer to infuse the enclosure with the Oxine. I was much impressed with how amazing the results were, as reported in those BYC postings. For sure if I had the relevant signs and symptoms in any of my hens, I'd definitely try it. I know that most of you on this New York forum board are a whole lot more experienced than I in chicken-keeping, and some of you are professionals in the field of microbiology and veterinary medicine and related spheres of expertise, so my suggestion is given here only because I'm hoping to be of help in some way and because I was so impressed with the positive outcomes as reported in the posts.
-Carolyn252
Thanks so much, Littlecritters.. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. Those were some of the sweetest, friendliest, most curious chicks I've had and I had let myself bond with them. It would have been easier if I hadn't.
I wear crocs as ugly as they are and just scrub them with antibacterial soap in very hot water, rinse well and then spray them with a strong oxine solution. I keep separate shoes for each pen, or area as they aren't really pens, just fenced sections of the yard. I would free range if I didn't have weird neighbors but I guess we can't make them live in a bubble....... I wouldn't want them to live like that anyway. They need to be allowed to be chickens.
It's so heartbreaking reading everyone's accounts of diseases and losses.. I've never cried so much as this past week, I don't think. I'm praying for all of our innocent birds.
